Leading economies discuss raw material consumption
In Argentina today, the twenty largest industrialised and emerging countries are discussing ways and means to use natural resources such as raw materials, water and land more efficiently and sparingly. State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth is opening the conference in Puerto Iguazú today together with Argentina's Environment Minister Bergman. Argentina, which currently holds the presidency of the G20, is thus continuing a political initiative by Germany.
Flasbarth: "If we reduce our resource consumption in the industrialised countries, it will also be easier for us to make progress on climate protection. We need prosperity that makes do with fewer resources. The World Resources Council has shown that we can also benefit economically from this, because resource efficiency is an engine for innovation and new jobs."
According to calculations by the World Resources Council (International Resource Panel), annual raw material consumption of currently 85 billion tonnes by 2050 to 186 billion tonnes if no countermeasures are taken. Resource efficiency and climate protection, on the other hand, could reduce raw material consumption by 28% and greenhouse gas emissions by over 60%, while at the same time increasing global economic output by 1%.
At the G20 Summit in Hamburg in July 2017, the heads of state and government had decided, at Germany's suggestion, to hold an annual G20 Resources Dialogue. After a kick-off meeting in Berlin in November 2017, the conference in Puerto Iguazú is the second meeting of the new governance process. The Resource Dialogue will meet in Puerto Iguazú from 28-29 August, ahead of a G20 working group on climate change.
Back in 2012, Germany was one of the first countries in the world to adopt a national resource efficiency programme (ProgRess). The aim of the programme is to use fewer raw materials and promote the use of recycled materials throughout the entire economic cycle - from raw material extraction to product design and production processes, our consumption patterns and the circular economy.
You can find examples of resource-efficient settlements and urban quarters at
www.ressourceneffiziente.siedlungen.eu
Source: BMU-PM of 27.8.2018
Keywords: Stakeholders, Renewable, News Blog Europe (without DE), Resource efficiency, Environmental policy
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